The present invention relates to apparatus for mounting a musical cymbal onto a conventional cymbal stand.
The cymbals used by drummers in most orchestras and bands are conventionally mounted on a cymbal stand beside the bass drum and other instruments played by the drummer. The upper end of the cymbal stand which end usually is vertical but which may be tilted or even horizontal is a threaded cylindrical shaft onto which the brass cymbal is mounted by a hole in the center of the cymbal.
Conventionally a metal washer is fitted over the threaded end of the shaft resting on the upper shoulder of the unthreaded portion of the shaft and then a cylindrical plastic sleeve is fitted over the lower end of the threaded portion of the shaft. A felt washer is then slipped over the plastic sleeve, followed by the cymbal which has a circular hole in its center. A second felt washer is then usually placed over the cymbal and a wing nut screwed down upon the upper felt washer to hold the cymbal onto the cymbal stand.
This conventional means of mounting the cymbal on the cymbal stand has proven generally unsatisfactory. While providing some protection of the cymbal, the felt washers tend to dampen the vibration of the cymbal, and, more important, the hole in the cymbal is not snugly secured by the plastic sleeve and felt washers and cracks or ruptures often appear in the body of the cymbal adjacent its central hole resulting in failure of the cymbal to produce its intended sounds.
It has also been proposed to mount the cymbal on a fixture which is connected to the cymbal stand by one or more flexible helical coiled springs. While this arrangement has some advantage over the above described conventional arrangement, springs have a tendency to squeak and such noises are most undesirable in a band or orchestra. Moreover, the plastic sleeve and felt washers at the upper end of the coiled helical spring are still subject to the same disadvantage of slippage of the cymbal, damping of the vibration of the cymbal and failure to securely seat the cymbal to prevent rupture or cracking around the hole in the cymbal.
Accordingly I have invented a unique mounting for a cymbal which protects the cymbal against cracking and breakage, is completely free of unwanted background noises from either movement of the cymbal against its mounting or by any moving part, permits the cymbal to be played at any mounting angle, extends the life of the cymbal and requires no lubrication of a spring or any other moving parts.
Basically, my cymbal mounting consists of four major components: a machine nut threaded to fit onto the threaded upper end of the cymbal stand; a cylindrical fitting made preferably of cast or molded rubber which is screwed onto the threaded upper end of the cymbal stand to rest firmly against the nut and includes an upwardly projecting threaded shaft; a washer with an annular shoulder sized to fit snugly within the hole of a cymbal and which sits on the upper face of the cylindrical fitting; and an internally threaded knob adapted to be screwed onto the threaded shaft of the fitting after the cymbal has been placed onto the shouldered washer.
Prior to threading the knob onto the threaded shaft of the fitting, it may first be desirable to place a flexible washer preferably made of rubber or similar resilient material over the end of the fitting's shaft to rest on top of the cymbal. In either event the knob is then hand tightened against the flexible shouldered washer or against the upper surface of the cymbal itself.